Answer my questions on Rohith, says Sanjiv Bhatt to PM Modi

Will Modi Kaka or Smriti Kaki answer these questions? The Nation wants to know their ‘Man Ki Baat’.

1. If the persecution and subsequent suicide of Rohit is not a Dalit Discrimination issue, what is it? A simple law and order problem? Is that how the government is looking at it?

2. If it was a simple law and order issue, then why did the HRD Ministry intervene in a “small” issue, and send as many as four reminders to the University authorities for action on Minister Dattatreya’s letter? And that too on a letter which had little to do with law and order but raised the highly political issues of nationalism, casteism and extremism?

3. Clearly the HCU must have written back with the action taken after all the reminders. Did the HRD Minister feel that the vindictive punishment meted out to the five Dalit students coming from economically weak background was justified?

4. What was the crime of the Dalit students? Irani did not mention it in her press conference and nor did her Ministry state it in all the letters it wrote to the HCU.

5. How is this not a Dalit versus non Dalit issue when all the five students rusticated and thrown out of their hostels were Dalits? And one of them committed suicide leaving a letter speaking of discrimination.

6. What about an enquiry into the ABVP’s conduct on campus? There is sufficient evidence from students who are speaking now of intimidation and harassment? Will Modi or Irani personally order this?

7. Do Modi or Irani see any similarity between this incident and the not so old incident where the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras derecognised the Ambedkar-Periyar Study Circle (APSC), a student association, following an anonymous complaint that it was instigating protests against the policies of the Centre and creating “hatred” against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Hindus. Was it not true that the HRD again wrote to the IIT management to intervene on an “anonymous complaint” and take action against the largely Dalit students organisation?